MOJO Kitchen & Bar

Dear culinary hunters and readers,

I know, nowadays i rarely posts consistently but tonight is different... I am writing this as soon as i pixilated by one of the newest (can i say) gastropub at Senopati area. Skipping classes were surely worth for Mojo.. There are some meanings for Mojo itself such as : "magical charm", "sexual charm", "sauce" in Europe and literally meaning "charm" of "fetish" is an amulet, often a small flannel bag containing one or more magic items, worn by adherents of hoodo/ voodo.

Okay.. enough with those Mojo literatures and get down to the points.. Senopati, nowadays known as an ever-changing area where mainly restaurants are popping out after one another like wild mushrooms. And, MOJO Kitchen & Bar without any doubts is an enchanting additional which helped to enliven the area much more. 

Divided into two areas : smoking & non-smoking.. it used to open only on dinner time but since a week ago, it was finally operating at lunch hour.. Simplicity as its best, Mojo isn't that spacious or swanky but it was succesfully delivering that instant homey and placate feelings. Dominated by natural wooden colored floorings to furniture and black retro-ish jazzy walls on the smoking section which led to a secret door and guess, what is that? there it is, your "gold mine" aka toilet. Another unsual sight to see was those spirits bottles hung on rows of metal rods just above the bar. Smart. Let me spam some pictures..

East meets West is the main concept of foods from this place. Dates back when the owners were still in L.A where mainly the foods are fusion between Western & Korean and they decided to bring it back to their establishment. Was my taste buds spoiled? because i am not kim chee fan.. we'll see..

ps : because my usual camera is now broke. i've got to use the lower spec camera and i hope i did a pretty well job, editing it. 

Mocktails were our companions that noon. It was slightly sultry back then yet this Raining On Maidera was truly refreshing. Beautiful mixtures between cucumber juice, lychee juice, lychee syrup, lychee fruit, lemon slice and sugar. Vividly sour yet sweet beverage that i could drink all day especially during summer.

             
Uh.. Pardon my faux pas, i got no clue about that orange colored mocktail name but among those three, the orange one was the most refreshing mocktail. Genuine freshen up from orange and the other components which succesfully brought up the right level sourness and sweetness become one beautiful coherent unity.

But..

My most favorite among those three was the pinkish one named G.S.L which stands for Guava, Strawberry and Lemon. Oh my, the name surely fooled me, i thought that G.S.L stands for something unthinkable and super cool.. But, whatever.. The orange one was more refreshing but this one really suit my taste buds and tickling my sense of goodness. I could tasted and chew smashed strawberry slices inside and this drink was slightly sweeter between the other two.

And, now i really think those mocktails "mojo" me

                     
Opened up by Mojo's Korean Wings. Compared with my favorite Korean Chicken Chain this one is slightly better.. I love how it poured all over with that fingerlicking yummy Gochuzang glaze.. While the texture from the wings were just right.. I wonder if they can make the skin crunchy.. Ah, just wondering.. It was superb already.

That egg wasn't your usual egg.. it was fried quail egg topped with nori strips. Seriously thought this would tasted like boring bolognaise i-usually-had. But, i was wrong. This al-dente Kim Chee Spaghetti cooked with some kind of sauce with kim chee applied and didn't soaked in it like bologanise usually is. The savoriness from this pasta surprised me since i could tasted hint like what aglio olio usually has. Savory and vaguely spicy. The quail egg tasted a bit tasted burnt. It really surpassed my expectation.

I was so excited when i took a glance upon the pretty egg. I don't know why but i really love seeing perfect egg like this one. This is MOJO Fried Rice With Duck Eggs and ingredients weren't your usual fried rice has. They used short ribs/chorizo, green peas, and diablo sauce. What's interesting is how those ingredients created a flavor that Indonesian like us could fell in love in a blink.

Unfortunately this Chiptle Glazed Herb Chicken couldn't pampered me like the others did. A surprise came from the rice. I thought it was a buttered rice and turned out to be lime cilantro rice served with glazed carrots and char scallions vinaigrette. I love how rice could be good when became friends with lime the chicken wasn't just meant for me. The chicken cooked through some complex and long processes but it tasted somewhat tasteless. I needed something kicking from this chicken and surprisingly through those processes, i think the flavoring still wasn't marinated till the bones.

              
Although i was quite full already, i couldn't stand a chance when this tempting looking Californian Cheese Burger served on our table. Thick patty then poured with animal sauce, said Mr Stephen and when i asked so, what made this animal sauce? He said that is a secret but he told me either afterward and now i forgot. Forgive me for my sins, readers. Nonetheless, it was really really good. The patty was an addict. It was thick on the right size and my definition of thickness yet juicy and oh no, i'm drolling over my key. Those french fries? Definitely a strong supporter.

          
The Tacos came in two styles, Korean and Classic but i only tried Korean Style Tacos. Consists of short ribs, cabbage, kim chee, and sauteed onions then poured over with their special sauce. Took a bite... The tortilla was a bit tough but the fillings were great and really feels right between one and another. Didn't tried their classic style.

                                                           
Because one of the attendants came late, so they kindly served this to her. I completely forgot about the name. But you have to mix them together and thoroughly before you eat it. Tried a spoon and it wasn't bad at all... Felt like am eating tomato rice.

The verdict? I honestly think MOJO really did a good job mojo-ing me and delivering the Mojo-ness from MOJO. Looking a place for cooling down after those chains of hectic activities of yours? Then open some bottles here, simply having fun and get to try their smashing East meets West foods to blown your mind away. At first, i was pessimist of having Korean as my lunch since i really am not Korean cuisines fan but the right fusion between Korean and Western surely worth the distance taken from my home. Tired of Jakartan's hustle bustle? Take a break man, and cheers!

Looking forward our next meeting MOJO and hopefully you will stay as mojo as today.   


MOJO Kitchen & Bar
Jl.Kertanegara no.70, Jakarta Selatan
(021) 70070529
Tweet them : @MOJO_Jkt